Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Apps for kids

Well-spent screen time

What are the good education apps out there?
What are the good education apps out there?

The screen glows for hours some evenings, and I can practically see thin fingers of smoke rising from my child’s ears as the brain cells burn inside her head. She, of course, thinks nothing is wrong and scoffs when I remind her that she used to read books in her free time. My husband feels like a bad dad for buying iPhones and iPads for the family.

I don’t like the arguments about screen time. I don’t like the every-waking-hour electronic connection to the peer group she’s with all day at school. I sometimes wish I were a 19th-century farm wife.

Except, really, I don’t. I like seeing posts and photos from my family spread from Massachusetts to Manila. I like that I can access my kids’ grades through school websites. I like reading online articles with my coffee in the morning. I don’t fancy milking cows.

“I can’t help with your aversion to cows,” my friend Bernice winked, “but as far as screen time goes, I collect my kids’ phones at 9 o’clock each night. And I loaded our iPad with educational apps. If my kids want screen time after 9, they’ll be doing stuff that grows brain cells instead of cooking them.”

The screen glows for hours some evenings.

But what are the good education apps out there?

Sponsored
Sponsored

“As a developer, the first thing I look for in an educational app is a quality user interface and no bugs,” offered local app developer Bill Wilson. “It should be easy to get around the app and should work. Too often I think developers don’t put the polish into educational apps that they would into commercial apps. Perhaps because the budget is lower? The second thing I look for is fun. If the app doesn’t have some element of fun, I’m not likely to open it very often.

“I think the best app out there is Lumosity. Very clean, easy to use, and beneficial. My 78-year-old mom plays it, as does my 4-year-old.” Lumosity is free and compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Lumosity works the attention and memory. Harvard Business Review stated, “Designed by neuroscientists, a brain training approach such as Lumosity builds on breakthrough concepts such as neuroplasticity and fluid intelligence.”

“I also like some of the Math apps,” continued Wilson. “Math Ninja is one of my kids’ favorites, fun story line, some nice game-type stuff, and very easy for kids to use.” Math Ninja is free for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The tree house needs defending and your math skills are the defense!

Wilson’s own app, Note Squish, works the musical side of the brain with a game for note reading ($.99 in iTunes; compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch).

Mariana, a friend from Mexico, uses the Dictionary.com app every day. “I use it any time I want to double check a word’s spelling,” she explained, “or when I don’t know a word’s meaning or when I want to make sure I am using it properly. Plus, it sends you an email every day with the word of the day and it pronounces the word.” The app is free with the option of additionally purchasing slang, idioms/phrases dictionaries, or encyclopedia.

Stack the States,” suggested Sophie. Map the 50 states, capitals, flags, and nicknames ($1.99 for iPhone, iPad. and iPod Touch).

“Our kids also enjoy DragonBox Algebra 5+,” continued Sophie ($4.99 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch). For ages five and up, it helps kids learn equation-solving with addition, division, and multiplication.

The Teach Me app, K through third grade, depending on the age,” replied Suzanne ($1.99 for iPad and iPhone). Learning in math and spelling. “Our kids also enjoy Telling Time Free (iPad) and Oregon Trail: American Settler [free for iPhone and iPad].”

Patrick suggested Star Chart (free for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch). “Point your device at the sky and it will tell you what you see,” smiled Patrick. “It shows all the constellations, faintly, so it doesn’t overwhelm the chart of the stars. It shows you when satellites are passing overhead, if you buy an add-on for $4.99. It sends notifications about that day in astronomical history — fun space facts. Just the other day I got one saying it was the 44th anniversary of the first manned space flight.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad
Next Article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
What are the good education apps out there?
What are the good education apps out there?

The screen glows for hours some evenings, and I can practically see thin fingers of smoke rising from my child’s ears as the brain cells burn inside her head. She, of course, thinks nothing is wrong and scoffs when I remind her that she used to read books in her free time. My husband feels like a bad dad for buying iPhones and iPads for the family.

I don’t like the arguments about screen time. I don’t like the every-waking-hour electronic connection to the peer group she’s with all day at school. I sometimes wish I were a 19th-century farm wife.

Except, really, I don’t. I like seeing posts and photos from my family spread from Massachusetts to Manila. I like that I can access my kids’ grades through school websites. I like reading online articles with my coffee in the morning. I don’t fancy milking cows.

“I can’t help with your aversion to cows,” my friend Bernice winked, “but as far as screen time goes, I collect my kids’ phones at 9 o’clock each night. And I loaded our iPad with educational apps. If my kids want screen time after 9, they’ll be doing stuff that grows brain cells instead of cooking them.”

The screen glows for hours some evenings.

But what are the good education apps out there?

Sponsored
Sponsored

“As a developer, the first thing I look for in an educational app is a quality user interface and no bugs,” offered local app developer Bill Wilson. “It should be easy to get around the app and should work. Too often I think developers don’t put the polish into educational apps that they would into commercial apps. Perhaps because the budget is lower? The second thing I look for is fun. If the app doesn’t have some element of fun, I’m not likely to open it very often.

“I think the best app out there is Lumosity. Very clean, easy to use, and beneficial. My 78-year-old mom plays it, as does my 4-year-old.” Lumosity is free and compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Lumosity works the attention and memory. Harvard Business Review stated, “Designed by neuroscientists, a brain training approach such as Lumosity builds on breakthrough concepts such as neuroplasticity and fluid intelligence.”

“I also like some of the Math apps,” continued Wilson. “Math Ninja is one of my kids’ favorites, fun story line, some nice game-type stuff, and very easy for kids to use.” Math Ninja is free for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The tree house needs defending and your math skills are the defense!

Wilson’s own app, Note Squish, works the musical side of the brain with a game for note reading ($.99 in iTunes; compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch).

Mariana, a friend from Mexico, uses the Dictionary.com app every day. “I use it any time I want to double check a word’s spelling,” she explained, “or when I don’t know a word’s meaning or when I want to make sure I am using it properly. Plus, it sends you an email every day with the word of the day and it pronounces the word.” The app is free with the option of additionally purchasing slang, idioms/phrases dictionaries, or encyclopedia.

Stack the States,” suggested Sophie. Map the 50 states, capitals, flags, and nicknames ($1.99 for iPhone, iPad. and iPod Touch).

“Our kids also enjoy DragonBox Algebra 5+,” continued Sophie ($4.99 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch). For ages five and up, it helps kids learn equation-solving with addition, division, and multiplication.

The Teach Me app, K through third grade, depending on the age,” replied Suzanne ($1.99 for iPad and iPhone). Learning in math and spelling. “Our kids also enjoy Telling Time Free (iPad) and Oregon Trail: American Settler [free for iPhone and iPad].”

Patrick suggested Star Chart (free for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch). “Point your device at the sky and it will tell you what you see,” smiled Patrick. “It shows all the constellations, faintly, so it doesn’t overwhelm the chart of the stars. It shows you when satellites are passing overhead, if you buy an add-on for $4.99. It sends notifications about that day in astronomical history — fun space facts. Just the other day I got one saying it was the 44th anniversary of the first manned space flight.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The Digital Currency Wave Hits the Shores of San Diego

Next Article

Not enough Readers in Mission Beach

Mayor Todd Gloria's skin color
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.